We all seek something. Asking, Seeking, Knocking…

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. – Matthew 7:7-8

Most of us have been both inspired and disappointed by this sentiment at some point in our lives.

We’ve heard this “ask, seek, knock” as:

• encouragement to go after what it is that you want
• a reason why you are not getting what it is you want
• a mantra to grow your business, ministry or reach
• as a way for God to answer your prayer

Basically as the go-to of how-tos in getting what you want.

Ask, seek, knock…been there, done that. Now what?

Part of my morning routine is to spend time quietly reading, writing and reflecting. This has proven to be one of my most powerful practices in keeping me focused on making progress in the direction I’m trying to go.

Recently, during one of my morning readings, this “old familiar” Bible verse of ask, seek, knock, hit me with a very new perspective. 

Before I get to the part that really stood out to me and changed my perspective (and maybe yours too), let me first go back and share the two things that I already knew to be true about this passage. (and maybe you do too)

First:

Ask, seek and knock are all actions. Things that we can choose to do (or not do). Our actions are the things that are within our control.

Second:

Given, find and opened are outcomes. While we can often do our best to predict outcomes, we cannot control them.

Summary:

Our actions are our responsibility and within our control, outcomes are not.

Here’s the part that stood out to me this particular time…

The word that is repeated after each expected action and just before the promised result, is the word WILL. 

That one little word, will, changes the whole trajectory of our perceived “straight line formula” of ask, seek and knock and the “instant” outcome of get, find and open are yours!

Here’s the “secret and the catch”, the word will has two meanings and they are:

1. expressing future tense. 
2. expressing inevitable events

So that means that we have to take the sometimes boring and even uncomfortable additional  “action” of waiting, then the outcome of receiving, finding and the door being opened happens!

The results from our actions of asking, seeking and knocking happen when?

How about tomorrow? Maybe.

Next week? Possibly.

In a month? Perhaps.

A year, two, five years from now?! “Tell me already?!” is what our mind often screams, but the truth is…who knows, but we can hold out hope that it will happen.

What we do know now is that the placement of that little word, will, means it’s out of our control as to exactly when our asking, seeking and knocking will pay off, we just don’t know when.

How often do we abandon asking, seeking or knocking because nothing happened YET? Is there even a time-frame on yet?

Who gets to determine the time-frame of will?

That stinking little word, will, changed my perspective and had me recognize that…a TRANSITION that needs to happen before the TRANSACTION of the desired outcome I’m looking for. 

When we can prioritize our focus on WHO we need to be in order to handle what it is we’re asking, seeking and knocking, is probably the same time we are ready for the outcome.

Working on WHO I need to be in order to handle the transaction I’m asking, seeking and knocking for right there with ya,

What are you thoughts on this “secret” behind ask, seek knock?